Just to be clear, my recovery was shorter, much shorter than six months. I started solid food about 4 weeks after the surgery. I went for a two mile hike the day after surgery and I started bowling 5 weeks after surgery. I was almost completely back to normal in 10 weeks. The walking is a very important part of the recovery. It helps alleviate the gas. Again, good luck.

Reed, I'm coming up on a year post-op and I've made an almost complete recovery. (back to where I was before I got sick) The only problem that I have is that if I eat immediately before bedtime I will still occasionally regurgitate a small amount of stomach contents. It was easy to fix. I don't eat any solid food after 9PM, problem solved. Other than that I'm doing great and I can eat anything I want. I was sick with Achalasia for a while before it was diagnosed. I saw four different Doctors before I found one smart enough to figure it out. I thought I was finished. I was so uncomfortable that I was looking forward to the end. The surgery gave me a whole new outlook on life and I now enjoy and look forward to every new day. The only caution I would give you is to keep a close eye on the pain meds they offer you. They wanted to give me a Fentanyl drip the first night. That's nasty addictive stuff and I wasn't in that much pain. I opted for tylenol and I was fine. If you can do it without the heavy pain meds you'll be better off. Good luck in your surgery. Do everything they tell you to do and your recovery will be over before you know it. Jim

I see some recent action on this topic and it's helped me from an information standpoint. Info in this topic seems hard to find and is usually pretty dated.

I'm a 34 yr old male. I've had issue with throat clearing, things sticking in my throat/esophagus, and phlegm since I was 17 or 18, but I've always managed until recently. Since May of 2017, I've been unable to swallow most things. I've been out of work since June and living off of mashed potatos, canned hash and fruit smoothies. Even those things make it feel like I have a wall in the bottom of my throat after eating. From the moment I wake up, even before trying to eat, I feel like I have a lump or build up where my throat meets my chest. Sometimes I'm able to work up thick phlegm and get some short-lived relief. Most of the time, I have no success.

It took several months of of things that didn't work, such as working with a Speech Pathologist, taking PPis, having swallow tests and seeing different specialists (neurologist, ENT, GI), even physical therapy, before finally landing at a thoracic surgeon's office. They worked quickly with an array of tests (manometry, bravo, endoscopy) and determined that I don't have achalasia, but am on the verge. My muscles aren't working properly and the timing is off.

Within three weeks of first seeing the thoracic team, my doctor (Rochester NY) has suggested the larascopic Heller myotomy and want to get me in on November 20th. I have my reservations, but some of this has made me feel better. I'm going to make that call today. I can't stand feeling this way anymore.

Thanks for the encouraging information. And I hope all is well for you all.

Hi I'm new to this forum. I have type 2 Achalasia and I'm scheduled for a myotomy with fundiplication in March. Reading through these posts it looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am nervous but excited for my results.

Welcome to the group Ivy. The worst part of your ordeal will be waiting for the operation. The operation itself is a piece of cake. When it's done, get right out of bed and start walking. It will speed up your recovery dramatically. The liquid diet after the operation is tough but it doesn't last forever and you'll be sleeping at night. With any luck you'll be at or near 100% by May 1 the latest. I was back at one month but I worked hard on my recovery. I took a two mile hike through the woods 24 hours after the operation. You're going to have trapped gas from the operation. It's painful and the walking will help to relieve it. Good Luck. You're soon going to be a new person.

I had a Heller Myotomy with Fundiplication done in June 2010, after loosing weight for six months without the doctors knowing what was wrong. Yes, the symptoms were that I could not eat, the food would get stuck, and I could not continuing eating.

Anyways, 7 years later, I do have a normal diet, but try to keep it as a GERD patient diet to avoid acid reflux.

My only concern and question is the following: My Gastro doctor prescribed that I should take medication for Acid Reflux as a precaution (like Nexium, Prevacid, etc..) for life! The first two years I managed without them, but eventually I started getting heart burns frequently (maybe due to a bad diet), so I started taking Omeprazole (30 mg) and then moved to Lanzoprazole (30 mg); but both have given me bad side effects like fast heart palpitations along with dizziness (like if I am about to faint); not an immediate side effect, but rather months after. According to my doctors this type of medicine does not cause these side effects, and they encouraged me to "take the risk" and continue using them, but that is the opposite of what I am finding out online where it lists these and some other serious side effects.

My questions is, was this acid reflux medicine also prescribed to any of you? and are you having some of these side effects? I am about to give up on these, and try some natural ways, like a squeezed lemon in water before breakfast.

Marc,I take Pantoprazole 40mg once a day. I've been taking it since my procedure in November of 2016 without any problems, as long as I behave myself. I can't eat anything for 2 hours before bedtime. If I misbehave, I will occasionally get a mild case of reflux.(not always)Your procedure was a long time ago. Have you had any other problems?Good luck,Jim

I've not heard of your side effects from Omeprazole or Lanzoprazole, especially months after. Please don't use Dr. Google, there is a lot of misinformation out there. I would listen to your doctor and also adjust your diet. Since it's been over 7 years since your procedure, when was your last endoscopy? You might want to also have a complete cardio workup, because the symptoms that you are experiencing may not be related to the PPIs at all.

Hi I had Toupet fundaplacation and hernia done. I can’t breathe or eat without severe pain in my chest. Hard to swallow and this hurts so bad being nauseous and pain I have to put my finger on my tongue to throw up anything I have had to drink or eat. The not being able to breathe scares me the most. Has anyone experienced the same. I don’t know what else I can do.

Just a guess here but if you had laparoscopic surgery you can get a lot of trapped gas. They actually inflate your belly to give themselves room to work. I had a bubble that felt like it was trapped under my shoulder blade and it was quite painful. Pain relievers didn't do much good. There's no way to release it and your body has to absorb that gas before the pain will subside. It will not pass through your digestive tract like stomach gas. I know it hurts but a good brisk walk will speed your recovery. I started with a two mile hike with my dogs the day after the surgery. My diaphram was cut as part of the surgery (my esophagus had to be disconnected and repaired) but I didn't have any pre-existing hernia problems so I don't know if that will be a problem for you. It took over two weeks for my bubble to go away completely. Don't force the issue of trying to throw up. The fundoplication was done to make your esophagus a one way trip. They have anti-nausea meds. Discuss it with your Doctor. Hang in there. Things will get better.P.S. I had a Nissen Fundoplication, not a Toupet and although the Nissen sounds like it might be a lot more involved than yours my main reason for the surgery a Heller Myotomy for Achalasia. The Fundoplication was a minor part of my surgery and almost an afterthought.